New York City's Office of Chief Medical Examiner announced on Wednesday that another victim of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has been identified through an advanced DNA analysis technique that combines genetic testing with genealogical research.
The victim, an adult woman who was killed in the World Trade Center attacks, is the second person to be identified using forensic investigative genetic genealogy. Her identity is being withheld in accordance with her family's wishes.
The first successful identification using the method was announced in August.
The technology allows investigators to compare DNA recovered from unidentified remains with information from genealogy databases. Specialists from the New York Police Department (NYPD) then examine family connections and reconstruct ancestral histories to establish possible matches.
According to Newsday, the NYPD's specialized genealogy unit conducts the research, which can require investigators to examine family records dating back centuries. Once a potential identification has been established, the medical examiner's office works with the victim's relatives to complete the process.
The latest discovery brings the number of formally identified World Trade Center victims to 1,655 out of the 2,753 people killed in the attacks. Another 1,098 victims, representing approximately 40% of those murdered, have yet to be identified.
Identifying victims has been particularly challenging because of the extreme conditions at the World Trade Center site following the collapse of the Twin Towers, which severely damaged much of the genetic material recovered from the rubble.
However, the medical examiner's office has obtained 47 additional DNA samples suitable for examination using the genealogy technique, according to Mark Desire, the office's assistant director for forensic biology.
The method has also been employed in criminal investigations involving previously unidentified victims, including cases connected to suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann.